Books › A Matter of Honour
A Matter of Honour
First published 1997 · 566 pages
A breathless, globe-trotting race against time to clear a father's name while dodging the world's deadliest intelligence agencies.
What it feels like
Reading this book feels like strapping into a classic Cold War rollercoaster. It trades deep psychological introspection for pure, unadulterated momentum, dropping an ordinary but capable man into a labyrinth of international espionage. The atmosphere is thick with paranoia and high-stakes tension, as every shadow could hide a KGB assassin or a CIA operative. The prose is lean and functional, designed entirely to serve the relentless pace and deliver satisfying cliffhangers at the end of every chapter. It is a story steeped in old-school notions of duty, legacy, and honor, making it an irresistible weekend binge for anyone who loves a cinematic cat-and-mouse thriller where the underdog must outwit the world's most powerful institutions.
- Mood
- tense
- paranoid
- high-stakes
- cinematic
- Tone
- urgent
- dramatic
- earnest
- suspenseful
- Pace
- propulsive
- Themes
- the weight of legacy · clearing a family name · duty and honor · international cat-and-mouse · ordinary man in extraordinary circumstances
- The writing
- Utilitarian, fast-paced, and heavily reliant on sharp dialogue and cliffhanger chapter endings to keep the pages turning.
- The arc
- Moves from the quiet grief of a tarnished family legacy into a frantic, adrenaline-fueled fight for survival and vindication.
- Who it's for
- Fans of classic Cold War espionage and globe-trotting thrillers who love watching an underdog outsmart powerful intelligence agencies.
Content notes
- violence
- death of a parent
- peril
About the book
He should never have opened the envelope...
Adam Scott listens to the reading of his father's will, aware that the results can only be pitiful. The Colonel, after all, had nothing to leave - except a letter he had never opened himself, a letter Adam fears can only bring further disgrace to the family name. Against his mother's wishes, Adam opens the letter, and immediately realizes his life can never be the same again. The contents leave him with no choice but to follow a course his father would have described as 'A Matter of Honour'.
'Probably the greatest storyteller of our age' - "Mail On Sunday".
Description from Open Library.
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